I have a major sweet tooth. I also care about eating a healthy diet and sometimes dessert and health don’t mix. I’m all about sweet treats, but it’s great to find one that also offers some nutritional benefit. That’s where Mixed Berry Crumble comes in!

A perfect way to welcome summer, this tasty, fruity dessert is a refreshing way to wash down any meal, and it also makes an amazing breakfast or snack if you have leftovers.

With just the right amount of crispy sweetness to complement the tart raspberries, this dish is sure to satisfy without weighing you down. Serve it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for some added creaminess [but this does negate most of its healthiness ;)].

In case you couldn’t tell by the name of this recipe, I was watching Hawaii Five-0 when I made this recipe. Not the super classy original series from the 70s, but the amazingly dramatic remake of the 21st century, full of one-liners and spiffy hairstyles.

Needless to say, it was a perfect rainy day, complete with blankets, Netflix, and, of course, Spaghetti. This is a delicious veggie version of a classic comfort food, with the added benefit of nutrients and minerals in the veggies.

As with any pasta and sauce recipe, always keep the sauce separate from the pasta so that each person can choose their ideal pasta to sauce ratio. Families have been torn apart over incorrect sauciness arguments.

I’ve never been to New Orleans (or Louisiana at all, for that matter). I’m more of a stay at home and cook type of person than a party in the streets until dawn type of person (though both types are awesome and I’m sure some people love doing both).

That being said, I am always up for new cuisines, and Louisiana originated food is definitely uncharted territory for me! So I decided to give it to go, and because Jambalaya has a lot in common with Paella, one of my favorite Spanish recipes (keep an eye out for it on the blog), I whipped out my chef’s pan and got cooking!

Traditional Jambalaya contains sausage, but this can easily be switched out for a plant-based option. Or use real sausage. Whatever floats your boat. Also unlike traditional Jambalaya, this recipe can be completed in less than an hour!

Chop everything that seems like it should be chopped. You know the drill. Sauté sausage, onion, bell pepper, and celery in a large frying pan or chef's pan until the sausage is golden brown and the veggies are softened.

Add everything else to the pan and keep it cooking, good looking!

Allow the flavors to marinate and cook fully for about 10 minutes before serving and enjoying!

I’m ready for summer! I am super grateful for living in a time and place where almost any fruit or vegetable is available year round, but I definitely try to eat with the seasons as much as possible. This summer I will be working at a farmer’s market and I will have access to lots of fresh and local produce, so keep an eye out for even more fresh goodness!

These fajitas are one of my “everything but the kitchen sink” recipes. Add whatever veggies and spices you have on hand, and your end result will probably be delicious! The lime juice gives them a nice tang and the enchilada sauce warms things up! The crunch of the veggies and creamy avocado bring everything together in a warm, soft tortilla of tastiness!

Doing dishes has never been my favorite activity. You’ll notice that most of my recipes use as few bowls, pans, and utensils as possible. You’ll also notice that I make a lot of hand held foods – wraps sandwiches, tacos, and in this case, burgers.

With these foods, I avoid the need for utensils, and I can continue the rotation of the one fork that is either in my mouth, in my sink, or in my drying rack. I am truly a single & independent millennial (sorry, Mom).

The toughest part about crafting fantastic foods without eggs is the part where ingredients stick together. Flax eggs to the rescue. There’s something magical about those little seeds – it’s a scientific fact that 64% fewer people would eat a vegan diet if flax eggs did not exist (try to prove me wrong).

Luckily these burgers have enough flavor and stick-together-power for you to forget about beef completely!

A couple of years ago, I went on a backpacking trip with the National Outdoor Leadership School. On this excursion, I learned a lot about leadership and technical outdoor skills, but most importantly, I learned how to cook some crazy amazing things with minimal equipment and ingredients. One of my favorite recipes from that trip was this amazing backcountry-friendly pizza. You can make this with just a pot and a pan.

Since that trip, I have fine-tuned this recipe in order to achieve the maximum flavor to simplicity ratio. Like all of my other recipes, this is very customizable, so it is a great food for a dinner party where everyone can build and cook their own personal pizzas.

The key to making this pizza truly stand-out-from-the-crowd-magnificent is in the seasoning. I encourage you to experiment with spices and herbs in the dough and sauce to find the perfect combination for you. Without further ado, enjoy!

Activate yeast by combining yeast, water, and sugar in a small bowl. Let sit for 5 minutes, or until mixture is foamy.

Add mixture, olive oil, and seasonings to flour slowly, kneading as you go. Dough should be light and not too sticky. Cover dough and let rise for 1 hour, or until it is almost doubled in size.

Chop mushroom and onions. Sauté for 5 minutes.

Once dough has risen, divide it into two parts. Roll out into two pizzas (flat and round, you know the drill).

Heat a large skillet with a little oil on low heat. Add one pizza dough and cover. Allow to cook for 3-5 minute - bottom should be golden brown and top should be looking more dry or cooked through.

Flip pizza and add toppings. Add a spoonful of water and cover immediately. The steam helps cook the pizza evenly, and it melts cheese if you are using it. Allow to cook for 2-3 more minutes and serve immediately.

I’m a big fan of leftovers. They give me the opportunity to eat healthy,well prepared foods without having to go to the effort of cooking a time consuming meal. That’s why I love recipes like fried rice. I can make a huge batch of it at the beginning of the week, and I’ll eat like royalty for days.

This fried rice is so simple to make, and you can easily multiply the recipe if you have a family to feed but still want plenty of leftovers. Like most of my recipes, it can be customized to your liking with more or less of certain ingredients. If you haven’t noticed, I put sriracha in almost everything, and it tastes great in this fried rice. I now present to you a dish that has perfected the balance of the three S’s: savory, salty, and spicy.

Buddha Bowls are one of those amazing meals that taste good and make you feel good. They are hearty enough to fill you up, and they have a wonderful combination of flavors and nutrients that give that extra-satisfying boost. Lots of protein, beta-carotene, fiber – what’s not to love?!

Once you’ve made Buddha Bowls (these or any other) a couple of times, you learn the perfect timing of what order to chop and cook everything so that nothing gets cold while you wait. I’ve listed the steps of this recipe to optimize that timing, but I encourage you to fiddle with it until you get it down in a way that works best for you.

These are great to make when you have guests, because if one person doesn’t like a certain ingredient, they can easily leave it out. They are also a tested and true way to convince friends that veganism isn’t that crazy ;).

Homemade pasta has been a time consuming tradition in my life since I was a child. We would make it a couple of times per year, always making enough for leftovers so we could savor the special texture and taste for another meal.

The dough itself is not difficult to make. It’s just a combination of semolina flour and pumpkin puree (water works too) in a 3 to 1 ratio. It takes longer than a box of pasta, especially with rolling and cutting the dough, but it is definitely worth it for the difference in quality and freshness!

The filling adds another layer to this meal, and it is easy to switch it up if you want to use something other than mushrooms – other ideas could be more pumpkin puree, spinach, or simply ricotta cheese.

This pasta is made with semolina flour. Unlike all-purpose flour, semolina flour is more coarse, and therefore gives the pasta a different texture. It’s a bit chewier than pasta made with all-purpose or whole wheat flour, in a very good way. Couscous is also made with semolina flour.

I paired this ravioli with a simple homemade tomato sauce, and I included the recipe for that, but the choice of sauce is up to you!

Chickpeas are a magical food. From hummus to meringue, so many vegan versions of non-vegan recipes require these for proper texture and flavor. These protein-rich legumes make for a great snack or in this case, salad for dipping and sandwiches.

This chickpea delight gains its name from a family joke in which my mother submitted a savory dish dubbed “chickpea delight” to a school cookbook, and it was placed in the dessert section of the cookbook. This chickpea delight is certainly not a dessert, but it will hold its own at any potluck, party, or family meal. Spread it on a sandwich or eat it alone with chips, and it is guaranteed to satisfy.

It is easy to add or take away ingredients of chickpea delight (like bell peppers? add some! not an onion fan? buh-bye onions! don’t like chickpeas? okay, maybe leave that in there, that part is necessary). All you need to make this recipe is a bowl and something to mash your salad!